Gate latch



.111116131953 M- CORNWELL, JR, ETAI- 2,338,334

GATE LATCH Filed May 21, 195e FIGA.

United SEMES Patent GATE LATCH Alexander M. Cornwell, r., and Stanley F.Jackes, University City, and Salvatore Strano, St. Louis, Mo., asslgnorsto .Taches-Evans Manufacturing Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation ofMissouri Application May 21, 1956, Serial No. 586,253

1 Claim. (Cl. 292-299) This invention relates generally to gate latchesand more particularly to improvements in latches of the type havingspaced latch rings adapted to automatically receive a projecting latchbar of a gate therebetween for releasably maintaining the gate in closedposition.

In the past many gate latches have been devised for slidable orswingable gates or doors, but none of them has been entirelysatisfactory. Most of these prior artVV latches have employed a largenumber of parts making manufacture and assembly expensive. Thesepartshave also been formed of heavy gauge material inasmuch as largeforces are normally exerted on the latch bar, the latch rings and thecasing or ring retainer. Accordingly, gate latches heretofore have beenlarge heavy devices, which are awkward to install and expensive torepair.

An object of the present invention is to provide a gate latch forautomatically latching a swingable gate in closed position, the gatebeing adapted to be unlatched quickly and easily from either side. Thelatch is also adapted for use with sliding gates.

Another object is to provide a gate` latch which is simple ofconstruction, having a minimum of parts, and light-weight but sturdy towithstand the forces exerted thereon by the swinging or sliding gate. Y.

These and still other objects and advantages will become apparenthereinafter. c

Briefly, the present invention comprises a gate latch including amounting member having a rearward attaching wall and a forwardsupporting wall, the latter wall having tab means formed therefrom,latch means car-V ried by the tab means, and retaining means secured tothe mounting means including a wall spaced from the supporting wall butin position to maintain the latch elements in free sliding position onthe tabs.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the combinations andarrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In theaccompanying drawings which form a part of this specification andwherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur: Y

Fig. l is an exploded perspective view, partly broken away, showing thedetails of a gate latch embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the assembledgate latch, A,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially. along line 3-3 ofFig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the gate latch with the retainingmeans removed to show the positions of the latch elements in response tomovement of the latch bar thereagainst.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be seen that a gate latchembodying the present invention includes a mounting member 11, latchmembers 12, a retaining member 13 and a latch bar 14.

The mounting member 11 includes coplanar upper and lower rearwardmounting walls 16 and 17, respectively, having openings 18 for securingthe mounting member to a vertical surface of a gate post 19 or the .Ylike with screws 20.

.verse walls 22 and 23, respectively.

Of course, other means may be provided for securing the mounting member11 to the post 19. The mounting member 11 also includes a forwardsupporting wall 21 secured to, but spaced from the mounting walls 16 and17 by upper and lower trans- A pair of spaced tabs 24 are struck outfrom the supporting wall 21 intermediate its ends to provide horizontalprojections for supporting the latch members 12, the upper surface 25 ofeach of the tabs 24 being arcuate to form a comple-v mentary t with thelatch member 12 positioned thereon. A forwardly extending abutmentflange or lug 26 is connected to each end of the supporting wall 21, thelower edges 27 of the lugs 26 being positioned on a plane below tabs 24for limiting sideways or longitudinal rocking movement of the latchmembers 12 on the tabs 24, as will become apparent hereinafter. Arearwardly extending fastening flange or lug 28 is also Aconnected toeach end of the supporting wall 21, the fastening lugs 28 havingthreaded openings 29 forrreceiving screws 30' so that the retainingmember 13 and the mounting member 11 may be releasably secured together.The lower margin of the lower mounting wall 17 is provided with aforwardly extending guide plate 32 having a central portion 33 and sideportions 34 forming canted ramps to the central portion. The centralportion 33 is positioned intermediate the latch members 12 and may serveas a support or rest for the latch bar 14 under circumstances to bedescribed hereinafter. The upper edge of the upper mounting wall 16 isprovided with a forwardly extending flap 35 adapted to support andposition `the retaining member 13 on the mounting memberll.

In the present form of the invention, a pair of latch members 12 areprovided, one being positioned on each of the supporting tabs 24. Eachof the latch members 12 comprises a substantially circular disc 36having Yan annular peripheral side wall or ring 37 integrally attachedthereto, the side wall 37 being substantially normal to the plane of thedisc 36 and having a free edge 3S. The

depth of the recess 39 dened by the disc and side wall of each latchmember 12 is slightly greater than the length of the supporting tabs 24.Accordingly, the

latch members 12 may be positioned over the tabs 24.

with the free edges 38 in sliding Contact with the supporting wall 21.As seen hereinbefore, the upper surface 25 of the tabs 24 is curved sothat the side wall 37 l of the latch members 12 will have acomplementary tit,l

therewith whereby the latch members l2 will depend from the tabs 24 inspaced relation with the abutment lugs 26. The curve of the tabs 24 alsoassists in resisting any bending forces exerted thereon during operationof the gate latch 10.

The retaining member or cover 13 includes aY forward plate orrwall 42, atop wall 43 and end walls 44, all of which are integrally connected toprovide a sturdy.

construction. As shown best in Figs. 2 and 3, the cover 13 is adapted tobe positioned on the mounting member 11 so that the top wall 43 issupported on the llap 35 and the front and end walls 42 and 44 extenddownwardly and encasethe upper portion of the mounting member. The loweredge 45 of the front and end walls 42 and 44 is on substantially thesame horizontal'plane" as the lower transverse wall 23 and the loweredge 27 space between the front wall 12 and the free edges of the tabs24 is smaller than the axial extent of the side walls 37 of the latchmembers so that the latch members are retained in position on the -tabs24. The abutment lugs 26, in addition to supporting and reinforcing theend walls 44 of the cover 13, have forward edges 47 adjacent to theinside surface of the front wall 42. Accordingly, the front wall 42 issupported to withstand any bending forces that would reduce the space 46and restrict the movement of the latch members 12 therein. The end walls44 of the cover 13 are provided with openings 48, which register withthe openings 2,9 in the fastening lugs 28. The metal screws 30 arereceived through the openings 29 and 48 for securing the mounting member11 and cover 13 together.

The latch bar 14 is adapted to be secured to a gate or door (not shown)in position to swing or slide with the gate into locked relationshipwith the latch members 12 when the gate is closed. The latch bar 14 isL- shaped and includes a free end leg 50 and a mounting leg 51, thelatch `bar being constructed of light gauge corrugated metal to form alight but strong bar. The latch bar 14 is secured to a sliding gate (notshown) in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 4 with the leg 5t). normalto the mounting wall 17 and the leg 5,1 parallel therewith, the recess52 (defined by the lower transverse wall 23, the lower mounting Wall 17and the guide plate 32) being provided to receive the mounting leg S1therein so that the latch bar is positioned between the latch members 12and the wall 17. Therefore, the latch bar cannot be `accidentallydisplaced from locked condition with the latch members 12. The latch bar14 is rigidly attached to the gate in position to slide or swing intolocking engagement with the latch members 12 above the center portion 33of the guide plate 32. However, it may be desired to provide limitedvertical movement of the latch bar 14, and in such case the guide plate32 is provided for directing the latch bar 14 into locking positionbetween the latch members 12 and preventing the latch bar 14 fromdropping below this locking position. When the latch bar 14 is securedto a swinging gate, the leg 50 is positioned in the recess 52 parallelwith the wall 17 and the mounting leg 51 extends outwardly normalthereto. The free end leg is thus positioned between the wall 17 and oneof the latch members 12.

Referring to Fig. 4 for the `description of the opera tion, the latchbar 14 swings or slides with the gate while moving toward closedposition relative to the gate post 19. As the latch bar 14 enters therecess 52, one of the legs 50 or 51 contacts the adjacent latch member12 causing it to slide or pivot upwardly in the space 46 between thefront wall 42 of the cover 13 and the supporting wall 21. The latchmember 12 will swing toward the center of the mounting member 11 aboutthe tab 24 until the latch bar 14 has passed the center of the raisedlatch member or into position between the latch members whereby theraised latch member 12 is permitted to fall gravitationally back intodepending position on the tab 24. Further movement of the latch bar 14(to the left in Fig. 4) into contact with the other latch member 12 willcause this member to move into abutting relation with the lower edge 27of the abutment lug 26, it being apparent from Figs. 2 and 4 that thecenters of the latch members 12 are positioned below the lower edges 27of the abutment lugs whereby vertical sliding movement of a latch member12 after contact with the abutment lug therefor will be etectivelyprevented. The latch bar 14 is thus retained between the latch members12, both of which are pendant and will Contact the abutment member 26adjacent thereto if the latch bar 14 is moved toward gate openingposition. The gate is opened by manually raising one of the latchmembers 12 into the space 45 and moving the latch bar 14 away from thestill pendant latch member.

It is now apparent that the latch bar 14 is releasably locked betweentwo normally depending latch members 12 to maintain a gate in closedposition. The latch members 12 are raised automatically by the latch bar14 to permit locking and then return gravitationally to pendantposition. lt is also apparent that the present gate latch 10 isconstructed of light weight material and is reinforced to withstandheavy forces applied thereto. Obviously, the disc portions 36 of thelatch members 12 adapt them to withstand far greater forces than if theywere formed as a simple ring inasmuch as the disc forms a web ofmaterial in the plane of the load or between the latch bar 14 and theabutment lug 26, the latch member 12 being channel-shaped incrosssection as shown in Fig. 3. In addition, the disc portions 36 ofthe latch members 12 provide shields for the rings or side walls 37whereby foreign matter cannot collect in the rings and prevent the freesliding movement of the latch members 12 on the tabs 24. The abutmentlugs 26 support and are supported by the cover 13. Because of theminimum number of parts, the gate latch 10 is quickly and economicallymanufactured and assembled.

This specication is intended to cover all changes and modifications ofthe example of the gate latch herein chosen for the purposes ofdisclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scopeof the present invention.

What we claim is:

A gate latch comprising a mounting member adapted to be secured to agate post, said mounting member having a supporting .wall with spacedtabs projecting therefrom, said tabs having free edges, stop lugsconnected to the ends of the supporting wall and projecting therefrom inthe same direction as said tabs; retaining means encasing saidsupporting Wall of saidmounting member,

said retaining means having a wall in spaced relationship with saidsupporting wall and the free edges of said tabs; and a pair of latchmembers each of which includes a disc wall positioned in the spacebetween the wall of said retaining means and the free edge of one ofsaid tabs, and an annular axially extending `side wall con-` nected tothe periphery of each disc wall and positioned in circumsc-ribingrelation with one of said tabs, said latch members being slidablerelative to said tabs and the axial extent of said latch member sidewalls being greater than the distance between the wall of said retainingmeans and the free edges of said tabs whereby the latch member sidewalls are adapted to abut the tabs to normally support the latch membersthereon.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

